The Expanse (episode)
After a devastating attack on Earth by an alien probe of unknown origin, Enterprise is recalled and sent into a strange expanse on a new, more vital mission. Summary Teaser prototype boils the Caribbean]] High above the planet Earth, an alien probe appears to enter from a visibility shield. The probe descends toward the planet below and comes to a stop above Earth's atmosphere. It fires a destructive blast at the continent of America from Florida to Venezuela, South America that cuts a swath through the planet's surface. When its task is complete, the probe self destructs, with one component continuing to hurtle toward Earth. Act One meets to give new orders to Duras]] On the Klingon homeworld, Qo'noS, in an organized gathering inside the Klingon High Council Chamber, the Council meets with Duras, son of Toral. The Klingon Chancellor is infuriated that Duras allowed Starfleet Captain Jonathan Archer to escape from imprisonment on two occasions. As a result of his failure to permanently secure Archer, Duras was dishonored by the Klingon Empire. When the Chancellor informs Duras that the High Council is providing him with a chance to regain both his command and his honor, Duras assures the Council he will succeed. In the briefing room aboard the NX class starship ''Enterprise'', Archer solemnly tells his senior staff the news that a probe has attacked Earth and cut a swath 4,000 kilometers long between Florida and Venezuela. Enterprise has been recalled by Starfleet Command. Although the journey back to Earth will be long, Helmsman Travis Mayweather complies with Archer's instruction to set a course for the planet at maximum warp. has borne the brunt of the attack]] Worried about his younger sister, an architect who lives in Florida, Chief Engineer Charles "Trip" Tucker enters the Captain's Ready Room. Unfortunately, Archer has not been told the areas of that American state the probe attacked. Subcommander T'Pol enters the room and reports that a Vulcan transport found a pod from the alien probe in central Asia. The transport brought the pod to Starfleet Headquarters, where it was studied. Starfleet has discovered that the probe was operated by an unidentified pilot, who was killed on impact. on board the Suliban vessel]] While the officers continue to discuss the situation, eight Suliban vessels approach Enterprise at high warp and surround the ship. On the bridge, Lieutenant Reed activates the tactical alert but three Suliban soldiers board Enterprise and kidnap the captain. They take him to one of their ships, where Archer meets his arch-nemesis, Silik. Archer accuses him of the attack on Earth, but the Suliban agent claims he was not involved and has no knowledge of the incident. Instead, Silik takes the captain to his leader – a man from the future who can only project his image through time and not participate in events directly. In a temporal communications chamber, the figure claims that the alien probe was launched by the Xindi, who learned that their homeworld would be destroyed by Humans 400 years in the future. The figure explains that the Xindi were informed of their planet's annihilation by another faction in the Temporal Cold War that can communicate through time. According to the mysterious figure, the probe was only a prototype for a much bigger and more powerful weapon that the Xindi are currently building. They plan to use the weapon to destroy Earth and eradicate the Humans before they can cause the destruction of the Xindi planet. The figure implies that, in his time period, history does not record Earth's destruction in the 22nd century. However, if the planet is destroyed, the disaster will contaminate the timeline. The captain is soon returned to his ship, where he tells T'Pol of the figure's story. The Vulcan doubts the recounted explanation but Archer asks for her support. He fears that her skepticism could lead him to mistrust the figure, a character who might be telling him the truth. :Captain's starlog - April 24, 2153. The journey home has been very difficult. We've now learned that over seven million people were lost. On Enterprise's bridge, Ensign Mayweather sees Earth's sun, Sol, on the main viewscreen. He shows Archer the spectacle shortly before Lieutenant Reed notes that a ship has dropped out of warp nearby. T'Pol is unable to identify the craft, which opens fire on Enterprise. In space, a Klingon Bird-of-Prey continues its attack as it swoops over the Starfleet vessel's hull. Act Two As the battle proceeds, T'Pol finally identifies the attacking ship. Since Enterprise loses both forward phase cannons, Archer orders the deployment of spatial torpedoes but the weapons cause insignificant damage. The Klingon ship retaliates with a destructive volley of torpedoes that detonate on contact with Enterprise's starboard nacelle, causing plasma to leak out into space. Carlos Ramirez welcomes Enterprise home]] When the Klingon ship sends a message to Enterprise demanding Archer's personal surrender so that honor may be regained, the captain realizes that Duras is commanding the Bird-of-Prey. Suddenly, a series of explosions erupt on the Starfleet vessel's bridge as the ship's nacelles are crippled. Realizing his opportunity to secure Archer, Duras issues orders to stop the attack and to prepare a boarding party. However, three Earth vessels, including the starship Intrepid, suddenly appear and destroy the Klingon ship's third and fourth disruptor banks. In furious frustration, Duras reluctantly withdraws from the battle. The Intrepid's commanding officer, Captain Ramirez, contacts Enterprise and welcomes the crew home, implying that he feels sorry the situation is so bleak. ]] As Enterprise orbits Earth, T'Pol, Hoshi Sato, Mayweather, Archer and Reed contemplate the devastation that the alien probe caused. The officers gaze dishearteningly at the swath of destruction on the main viewscreen. Commander Tucker, wracked with grief, diverts his attention away from the image. In Starfleet Headquarters on Earth, Admiral Forrest and Vulcan Ambassador Soval notify Archer that both Starfleet and the Vulcan High Command doubt the mysterious figure's story. The captain urges Forrest to assign Enterprise the mission of searching for the Xindi. However, Soval reveals that the Xindi's homeworld is in the Delphic Expanse, a dangerous region of space where many Vulcan ships have gone missing. Archer likens the area to Earth's Bermuda Triangle, but Soval adds that the region is also rumored to hold several hostile alien species and unexplainable phenomena and that in some areas of the expanse, even the law's of physics do not apply. The Vulcan is definite in his belief that the mission should not be authorized. When Forrest suggests that sufficient evidence may persuade Starfleet to authorize Archer's plan, the captain admits that the mysterious figure provided him with proof. The three men enter another room, where the wreckage of the alien probe remains. The captain removes a concealed component from the rubble and uses the quantum dating function of two scanners to demonstrate that the component is likely from the future. Although Soval is still unwilling to acknowledge the evidence, Forrest states that he plans to talk with Starfleet Command, apparently believing the captain's proof. With Forrest's authorization, Archer walks over to a secured freezer unit and looks inside. The unit contains a frozen alien corpse that the captain analyzes with a scanner. When Soval asks Archer if he believes the alien is a Xindi, the captain replies that he intends to find out. While Enterprise is docked in one of Earth's orbital drydock facilities, Archer enters sickbay. There, Phlox introduces the captain to a male Vulcan doctor named Fer'at. The Vulcan is apparently present to analyze Archer's exposure to traces of pyritic radiation found in the alien probe. As Fer'at questions the captain, Phlox uses a nearby console to access the Vulcan database. He is enraged when he learns that Fer'at is actually a psychiatric analyst sent to examine Archer's mental state. Following Archer's instruction, Phlox leaves sickbay with Fer'at and accompanies the Vulcan to an airlock. Meanwhile, Reed and Tucker visit the site of the alien attack. The two officers look out across a narrow valley where "the house" once stood. Tucker shows Reed where a nearby movie theater was, and recalls that he used to take his sister there when she was a baby. Tucker solemnly states that his sister would have contacted someone if she were still alive, believing that the fact she hasn't is proof that she died in the attack. Act Three :Captain's starlog, supplemental. After days of debate, Starfleet's finally informed me that we're to proceed with our new mission. Inside an inspection pod, Archer and Forrest survey the starship ''Columbia'', the second NX class spacecraft to be built. Uncompleted, the vessel is docked in one of Earth's orbital drydock facilities. Forrest hopes that Enterprise will have returned long before Columbia's launch in fourteen months. The admiral notifies Archer that the new vessel will have the same armament as Enterprise, once the prototype NX class starship is completely retrofitted. Archer reveals that he notified his crew of their new mission in the morning, although several officers have decided to leave the ship. When the captain admits that he spoke to General Casey several hours ago, Forrest remarks that he was surprised at Archer's request for military personnel. The captain responds that he doesn't have a problem with non-Starfleet officers and that security will be of vital importance in the Delphic Expanse. Although Forrest worries that the mysterious figure did not reveal where to look in the Delphic Expanse, or when the alien weapon will be ready, Archer believes that the figure warned him because Enterprise still has enough time to stop the aliens from destroying Earth. ]] Aboard Enterprise, T'Pol enters sickbay and finds Doctor Phlox. She asks whether he is sure of his decision to remain aboard the ship. According to the Vulcan, Crewman Fuller just informed her that a shuttle carrying two hundred snow beetles is on its way. Although Phlox suggests that the beetles might be for his replacement, T'Pol is certain that every doctor in Starfleet would be completely unsure of how to use them. The Denobulan smiles and asks T'Pol if she will also be staying on the ship. She replies that the Vulcan High Command has forbidden her from entering the Delphic Expanse. When Phlox asks T'Pol what she wants to do, the Vulcan states that she must obey the High Command. However, the doctor reminds her that she has not always acted in accordance with the High Command's orders. Phlox contemplates their decision of whether to leave the ship, revealing that he found the choice an easy one to make. He believes that T'Pol will have greater difficulty in deciding whether to leave, as her choice will indicate her allegiance to Archer or to the Vulcan High Command. A female ensign enters sickbay, moving a large white case into the room. T'Pol thanks Phlox for his help and follows the ensign out of sickbay. In the starship's armory, Reed shows Commander Tucker a stack of photonic torpedoes, advanced weaponry installed for the vessel's change of mission. The torpedoes have a variable yield and a range fifty times greater than the old spatial torpedoes. Reed tells Trip that three teams of security officers are working on adapting the torpedo tubes and have promised that they will have completed the task by the time Enterprise leaves spacedock. The lieutenant adds that he has to start integrating the weapons into the vessel's power grid. He then leaves the armory with Trip. ]] Back in San Francisco, Soval shows Forest, Archer and T'Pol disturbing imagery from a previous Vulcan mission to the Delphic Expanse. Grainy imagery from the ''Vaankara shows Vulcans lost to their emotions. They are savagely attacking each other. Soval says that less than an hour after the images were recorded, the ship was destroyed, without "indication of malfunction or an attack". Despite Starfleet's acquiescance to Archer's new mission, Soval remains firm in his opposition. recalls T'pol to Vulcan]] Outside fleet headquarters, Soval has a private conversation with T'Pol. He discusses her imminent assignment at the Ministry of Information on Vulcan. He assumes that because the Vulcan High Command has opposed Starfleet in this matter, she has been de facto recalled. T'Pol, however, reacts strongly against being pulled from Enterprise. She argues that there is still a need for Vulcan assistance. As her words fail to sway Soval, she flirts with insubordination, saying that it should be up to her to stay on Enterprise. After returning to Enterprise, Archer has one last conversation with Forrest. He informs the admiral that Soval has given him permission to take T'Pol back to Vulcan on the way to the Delphic Expanse. Forrest wishes Archer luck on his mission. A few hours later, Enterprise departs spacedock with her repairs and upgrades complete. Duras detects Enterprise heading for Vulcan and tells his weapons officer to "charge weapons, and prepare to bring them online". Act Four As Enterprise hurtles towards Vulcan, Trip and his captain are sleepless in the middle of the night. They are sharing a drink to the past and future. They toast Henry Archer and his warp engine, which is now the major technology standing between the Xindi superweapon and Earth's future. As they imbibe more, though, the conversation turns increasingly dark. They briefly touch on how much they're going to miss T'Pol, but Tucker quickly sees the virtue of her absence. No longer will they be tied to "that non-interference crap T'Pol's always shoving down our throats". Tucker and Archer agree that they'll do "whatever it takes" to spare Earth from annihilation by the Xindi. Duras interrupts their discussion with a second attack. As Archer reaches the bridge, he gives Reed the green light to use the new photonic torpedoes. An initial, low-yield hit fails to shake their pursuers, so Archer tells Reed to bring up the yield. This second volley temporarily disables the Klingons. Archer believes that Enterprise now has the ability to make it to Vulcan space before the Klingon ship can catch up with them. He hopes that the threat of Vulcan reinforcements will be enough make Duras break off his attack. As Enterprise continues on course to Vulcan, T'Pol has a conversation with Archer in his ready room. He tries to remind her of all the problems she's had adjusting to life on board a human vessel, but she dismisses his attempts to cheer her about the virtues of returning home. Ultimately, she announces that she intends to resign her Vulcan commission, and asks to remain aboard Enterprise. Archer is surprised, and wonders why she would be willing to throw away her career for Enterprise. She insists that he needs her at the science station. Archer considers her statement silently, then exits to the bridge. There, he moves to his command chair and orders Mayweather to alter course to the Delphic Expanse. :Captain's starlog — supplemental. We've been traveling at Warp 5 for seven weeks. The crew is anxious to begin our mission. The Enterprise is now close to the border of the Expanse. The size of the Expanse, however, makes the area seem much closer than it really is. At a million kilometers distance, Archer orders Mayweather to enter the thermobaric clouds which mark the border at a slow impulse speed. After traveling inside the clouds for six hours, the crew begins to express impatience at not making contact with anything on the scanners. Suddenly, they pick up three distinct signals, belonging to Duras' three ships. They open fire on Enterprise, but have difficulty hitting the ship due to interference from the clouds. Duras orders his ship to get closer to Enterprise to give his targeting scanners a better chance of success. As the shots now begin to hit Enterprise, Trip notes that Archer had said the Klingons wouldn't enter the Expanse. Archer points out that they aren't actually in the Expanse yet. He then puts the ship at full impulse to evade their pursuers. Trip objects, citing the stress the clouds are having on the intake manifolds. Archer overrules him. Duras hails and orders Enterprise to come about and prepare to be boarded. Archer cuts the communication,T'Pol announces that she detects clear space close by. Because he now understands that Duras wanted Enterprise to come about to avoid entering the Expanse, Archer repeats his order to increase speed. Archer then wonders why the new photonic torpedoes aren't having the same effect they did in the earlier battle. Reed notes that Duras has changed the configuration of his deflector shields such that they're all concentrated on the forward section of his ship. Archer then orders Mayweather to perform an L-4, so that they can orient Enterprise toward the unprotected part of Duras' ship. In the meantime, two of the three Klingon vessels break off their attack for fear of entering the Expanse. Now with just one Bird of Prey in pursuit, Travis is able to do a hard vertical roll, which neatly places Enterprise aft of Duras. Reed concentrates his torpedoes on the unprotected part of the Klingon vessel. They easily destroy the craft. Enterprise emerges from the thermobaric clouds at about the same time, whereupon Archer gives a final order: "Straight and steady, Mr. Mayweather. Let's see what's in there." Background Information * Two major scenes were deleted from the episode due to time constraints. One dealt with Hoshi Sato's decision to remain aboard ship despite the risks. Another dealt with Archer's previously unmentioned love interest. * The episode marked the end of the second season of Star Trek: Enterprise, and the beginning of the Xindi arc in which the crew search for the Xindi superweapon. * This is the first mention of the Xindi. * This marks the first time photonic torpedoes are used on a Starfleet ship. * This episode marks the final appearance of Future Guy (James Horan) and the death of Duras (Daniel Riordan). * Bruce Wright previously played Sarish Rez in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode . * While Archer is digging through the wreckage of the Xindi probe, he picks up an item and determines that it's from the future. It truly is, it's the reuse of Quark's cloaking device in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode . * This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series. Dennis McCarthy's music composition also received an Emmy nomination. Links and References Guest Stars * John Fleck as Silik * Vaughn Armstrong as Maxwell Forrest * Gary Graham as Soval * Daniel Riordan as Duras * James Horan as Future Guy * Bruce Wright as Fer'at Co-Stars * Dan Desmond as the Klingon Chancellor * Josh Cruze as Captain Ramirez * Dave Figlioli as the Klingon Weapons Officer (credited as Klingon Crewman) * L. Sidney as the Klingon Helmsman (credited as Klingon Crewman #2) * Gary Bullock as a Klingon Council Member * Serena Scott Thomas as Becky (deleted scenes) Uncredited Co-Stars *Josh Brown as a Vulcan military officer References Bermuda Triangle; communications buoy; Earth; Florida; ''Intrepid''-type; Japanese language; Klingons; psychiatric analyst; Suliban; Silik; Xindi; Xindi-Reptilian; Xindi superweapon; Unnamed Earth starships; Vaankara; Venezuela; Vulcan transport External Links * |next= }} Expanse, The de:Die Ausdehnung es:The Expanse nl:The Expanse